ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe quick look: old wine served in a crystal decanter

“The Deluxe version of the ASUS ZenFone 2 looks good and sports better build quality than the original”

The ASUS ZenFone 2 stands out as the world’s first smartphone to come with 4GB of RAM, and when it was announced back at CES, everyone sat up and took notice. It was just last year when the ZenFone range from ASUS appeared out of nowhere and took the smartphone arena with storm with what it had to offer, and that too at a pocket-friendly price. The original ZenFone range launched with multiple variants, all with different screen sizes and slightly different specs, but over the course of the year, ASUS went on to launch more variants as the devices became more popular. The carpet-bombing strategy using multiple variants continued with the ZenFone 2, which also came in a slew of different models… all toting a similar design but slightly different specs and storage capacities. And adding to the list now, are three more variants – the ZenFone Selfie (which was announced at Computex this year), the ZenFone 2 Laser and the ZenFone 2 Deluxe.

Out of the lot, the ZenFone 2 Deluxe manages to stand out, thanks to its design. In fact, that’s pretty much its only claim to fame, as the specs look almost identical to the 64GB variant of the original ZenFone 2 (review), complete with a 5.5-inch full HD screen, Intel’s quad-core Z3580 processor clocked at 2.3GHz, 4 gigs of RAM, 13/5MP snappers, 3,000mAh battery with fast charging and dual-SIM dual active support. Oh yes, 4G support is there as well. The device runs Android Lollipop, with ASUS’ Zen UI. We’ve covered the Zenfone 2 in excruciating detail earlier, so we'd avoid repeating ourselves... but as the mainstay of the ZenFone 2 Deluxe is its design, we do want to give you a peek at the device. So here’s a quick look in pics.

From the front, the ZenFone 2 Deluxe looks pretty much the same as the original device… complete with the 5.5-inch FHD display and the non-backlit capacitive navigation keys below.

The rear is where things get interesting, as the ZenFone 2 Deluxe uses what the brand calls a ‘premium polygonal material’. The crystal-like pattern feels rough to the touch, but makes the device stand out from the crowd as far as design is concerned. We also think it feels sturdier when it comes to build quality, and ASUS will be making it available in three hues – white, red and blue (the latter is pictured above).

As usual, the volume key has been placed at the rear. You can also see the dual-LED flash.

Here’s a look at that 3D crystal design from another angle.

The familiar fascia and UI up close.

The placement of ports and controls is the same as earlier – with the power key and headset socket on top, and micro-USB port at the bottom.

The back panel is removable, and though you can’t remove the 3,000mAh battery, you can get access to the pair of micro-SIM card slots and the microSD slot as well.

As of now, ASUS hasn’t divulged the pricing of the ZenFone 2 Deluxe, but we expect to get all the details at the brand’s ZenFestival scheduled for August 6th.